Track & Field Headline

Friday April 20, 2012Gators Host Tom Jones Memorial Classic Saturday

The University of Florida will play host to its final home track and
field event of the 2012 season on Saturday when it entertains a number of
impressive teams and athletes at the Tom Jones Memorial Classic. The event
begins at 12 p.m. ET and is free and open to the public.

The impressive field includes Bethune-Cookman, Brown, UCF, Florida
A&M, Florida Atlantic, Florida International, Florida Tech, McKendree, Ohio
State and Tampa. Some standout post-collegians participating in the field
include Will Claye, Justin Gatlin, David Oliver, David Payne, Calvin Smith,
Loreal Smith, Christian Taylor and Kellie Wells.

The meet is being held in honor of former longtime University of
Florida women’s track and field coach Tom Jones, who passed away on
March 21, 2007 at the age of 62 after a courageous battle with cancer. He
oversaw the Gator women’s program for nearly half of its existence, serving as
head coach for 15 of the program’s 35 seasons to that point. He guided 71
athletes to 245 All-America honors on the track, while his teams posted a
combined 15 top-10 finishes at the NCAA Indoor and Outdoor Championships.

The Gator men enter this weekend’s meet ranked No. 1 in the nation,
while Florida’s women are No. 7. This weekend is the final tune-up before the Orange
and Blue head to Jim Duncan Track at Drake Stadium, the site of the 2012 NCAA
Outdoor Track & Field Championships, for the 2012 Drake Relays.